Argonauts 11U Gain First Pop Warner Win with Dominant 27-0 Shutout of Steelers

By Miles Toogo- Photos by Jenn Anne Gledhill

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GILBERTS— The feeling of accomplishing something you haven’t before can be exhilarating, knowing you finally did it after trying over and over. Whether individually or as part of a group.

In athletics, the same applies especially setting individual goals or as part of a team. After a dismal 2025 season, the then 10U Argos went winless, enduring a season you’ll remember solely because of the hardships of it.

Jump forward to this 2026 season. With the new season brings new hopes and new possibilities. For those returning as 11U, a new coach, a new team with many new players and a new opportunity provides the chance of redemption and a possibility of ending all thoughts of the dismal past.

Took longer than many liked but after a dominating display of Speed, Power and Agility and an agressive defensive prowess, the shellacking the Arogos put on the visiting Elgin Steelers on September 5 in the 27-0 victory, brings a new beginning and sunk the winless season of last year into the abyss.

“We are excited about the win,” said head coach Ray Kenny. “We had a tough week one loss. Besides Rick Coates, we have a whole new coaching staff this year. The boys didn’t have the best year last year, they didn’t win any Pop Warner games. My step-son wanted to play football, so I said yeah I’ll coach, so I got a bunch of my good buddies all with years of football coaching experience; I feel like the kids are just benefiting so much because of that.”

“This year we are playing kids where it’s best for the team. It’s been an adjustment for them as they previously got to pick where they wanted to play. For the players that stuck around this year, they want to win, they’re showing that, busting their butts in practice. So waiting two weeks after our opening loss was tough but they came out here, pitched a shutout with four scores, that’s awesome, I’ll take that any day of the week; just impressed how they came out and dominated.”

Offensively, the Argos only accumulated 161-yards offense but they scored when opportunity presented itself. Defensively, preventing a score by the opponent is a task the Argonauts excelled in. On both sides of the ball, the Argos displayed a distinct advantage throughout the game.

After opening the game with three defensive stops by Kameron Smith, Joshua Skrodzki and Dylan Devies-Howard, which produced negative yards, the tone was set for the rest of the game.

The Argos opening offensive drive produced very little other than a first down on a pair of runs by Dominick Bonilla. Releasing the ball on downs, the Argos defense went back to work.

Again the Argos set the Steelers back with tackles for negative yards by Samuel Coates and Skrodzki, forcing a punt, it was hauled in by Andrew Schaefer, who returned it 23-yards and set up the opening Argos score two plays later.

A handoff to Bonilla saw the bruising-back rumble and bang his way through, chugging 16-yards for the touchdown. Skrodzki added the point-after for the 7-0 lead.

The Argos, now back defending, did allow a pass completion on the Steelers next drive, but Declan Arndt and Jonah Varda limited the Steelers efforts on the ground.

The drive came to halt when Arndt came away with a coughed up football, recovering the fumble to start the second quarter.

The Steelers and Argos traded defensive stops on the following two series. For the Argos, tackles by Schaefer, Coates and Arndt kept the Argonauts defensive pressure constant, allowing the visitors very little, again forcing a turnover on downs.

Schaefer now gave notice to the Steelers. The shifty, elusive runningback went on to gain 30-yards on four attempts, the last a 15-yard draw up the middle for the Argos second touchdown. Add Skrodzki conversion kick, the Argos lead elevated to 15-0 wth 24-second left in the first half. On the scoring drive, a 13-yard pass completion by Nixon Tomczyk to Skrodzki was also key to maintaining the football.

A tackle by Varda took the game into halftime.

Coming out in the second half with all the momentum, the Argos felt a long awaited victory was there for the taking, so they went out and assured themselves of a better chance by adding to their lead.

Behind the running attack of Schaefer, Bonilla and Luca Saengmany, the Argos capped the 9-play drive with Bonilla blasting in from 18-yards ou,t running up the middle, pin-balling his way off Steelers until he entered the endzone for his second score of the game. Just like that, the Argos had a commanding 21-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

Doing his part defensively, Arndt seem to be on a mission to complete the three-score lead into a victory, almost nearly stopping the Steelers solo on the ensuing drive, grabbing four tackles himself. Schaefer also assisted with a solo himself to create another turnover on downs.

To say the Argos were playing well on defense is like saying Coach Hunter Hall has a small mullet., It was beyond well, it continued to be stellar.

Scoring the third touchdown, you sensed the Argos were not letting this game get away, so you saw an aggressive style of play upped in the second half. Allowing Elgin next to nothing the remainder of the game. They wanted to keep them off the scoreboard.

Maintaining the defensive tone set on the very first series of the game, the Argos didn’t back off. Coates, Arndt and Varda continued to pile onto the tackling tally in the fourth quarter.

The efforts by the entire defensive team, regardless of who was in, was that of one unit with one goal in mind. They just needed to complete the game.

After forcing the final turnover on downs by the Steelers, the Argos went ahead and padded their lead on the games final series.

Passes by Tomczyk to Arndt and to Skrodzki had the Argos again threatening to score; they did just that. On the final play of the game sitting just a yard away, Schaefer got the call and powered in for the touchdown, upping the lead to 27-0 with 12-seconds left.

With the game in hand, the referees let the final seconds expire giving the Long-Awaited 27-0 Victory to the Argos as elation poured onto the field by players, coaches and spectators along the sidelines.

One player that performed at a high level when called on was Andrew Schaefer. Disruptive on defense and a difficult target offensively, Schaefer was displaying his all-around game and was easily noticeable. Whether making a hard tackle or gaining yards running the ball, he was one of the reasons the losing evaporated.

“I think I was better on offense with the line working really well for us,” said Schaefer. “I like running up the middle, I like the contact and popping people. I probably could run faster. I thought we blocked good but could do better but I think we were impressive too. I’d say the defense was better today with the shutout.”

Another having a an excellent game was lineman Samuel Coates. He became a nusiance for the Steelers constantly putting pressure in the backfield or making a stop in it and at the line. It helps that he displayed quickness off the snap and repeatedly beat whomever lined up across from him.

“I was penetrating through and keeping my feet moving,” said Coates. “I was reacting off the snap, we work on that. Depending where I was lining up, I was trying to react quickly on the snap. I enjoy playing defense more and grabbing a tackle to help the team. I could probably get off my blocks better and make more tackles in the backfield. I try to be explosive on the snap each play, get an edge and make a play out there. I thought we played pretty good overall.”

Another versatile asset for the Argos is Joshua Skrodzki. The two way players can do it all. He tackles well, catches the ball and can run and create space by powering or slashing on runs. He also can provide kicks through the uprights as displayed today. Maybe the most gifted of all the Argos, he, along with several others can be a difference in every game.

“Sometimes I get tired out there but not often because we do a lot of sprints and conditioning at practice,” said Joshua. “I’m in pretty good shape. For me, I think I probably do better on defense because I like exploding to the ball to make the tackle, I like that a lot. I also feel I have good vision, it helps me get to the ball quick. In practice, I look into the gap to see where the ball is, I work on that and then go. I can pursue pretty well but I have to work on containing too, keep them from getting outside of me on defense. Today we ran the ball really well.”

An early game workhorse for the Argos was runningback Dominick Bonilla. The power-blasting runner was a difficult task for the Steelers. He isn’t someone who can be stopped one-on-one. When he takes off, you’ll require multiple stoppers or you’ll just be tossed aside on impact. Although he didn’t carry the rock much in the second half, when called on, he delivered. He tallied two touchdowns in the game, one in each half.

Dominick was also solid on the defnsive side, grabbing or assisting on several tackles

“I really like being a power-runner, it’s really fun,” said bulldozing Bonilla. “I love laying my shoulder into people and wreaking havoc. I thought I did really well running the ball on our Bama play. I think I am hard to tackle, one guy can stop me but it’s mostly hard to do. I’d say playing both sides I enjoy evenly. On defense I like rushing the QB , getting tackles in the backfield and forcing a fumble. They (Steelers) were going hard but we were just beating them out there. Theres always room for improvement but today was a good game. I’m happy with the win, its been a while.”

The complete team effort is one these Argos can build on and may just catapult them onto a winning streak they won’t forget. Winning is contageous, it’s affect is wanting more and more. Coach Kenny and staff now have plenty of work ahead because winning isn’t easy as they all know.